Wednesday September 19, 2012 3:57 pm

Time Warner Cable says it is willing to allow Apple to build its new UI

It's only a matter time before cable providers see the error of their ways, and Time Warner Cable might be ahead of the curve. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cable provider is thinking of ceding control of its cloud based television services to device makers like Apple, with the provision that it will not give up its relationship with subscribers. The deal is in the details and perhaps Time Warner senses a shift in the current go-to-market-strategy and wants a leg up in negotiations.

If the cable providers need any examples, they can look no further than the music industry, which was redefined in the last decade. Issues like privacy, cable cutters and the rapid improvements in technology, that have given rise to services like Netflix and Hulu, is enough for anyone to see the the writing on the wall. For instance, the premium television channel HBO has been quoted as saying that it couldn't see a cable-less subscription to HBO content. However, it's now deploying such services, dubbed HBO Nordic, to places like Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway effective this October.

Bloomberg and The wall Street Journal have reported that talks between cable providers and Apple have stalled somewhat. So, today's news is a welcome sign. According to Rob Marcos, COO of Time Warner, "it's really all about maximizing the capabilities to get Time Warner customers the best possible experience." So they recognize that their UI isn't leading the pack, and that a change could mean better customer retention.

Companies like Google are cutting their teeth with internet and TV services in Kansas City with expansion of Google Fiber. Therefore, that's another incentive for cable providers to make the necessary deals for an online a la carte TV service, which unbundles channels. Doing so may translate to better savings for their customers. Apple is, perhaps, the king of digital content distribution and leads the tech industry in user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). Also, lets not forget its iconic hardware design that is extremely simple to use, which makes a partnership mutually beneficial. Now, the real question is, when and where do I sign up?